<!doctype html>
<html class="no-js" lang="en" data-content_root="./">
  <head><meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
    <meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<link rel="index" title="Index" href="genindex.html"><link rel="search" title="Search" href="search.html"><link rel="next" title="Using Reticulum on Your System" href="using.html"><link rel="prev" title="What is Reticulum?" href="whatis.html">
        <link rel="prefetch" href="_static/rns_logo_512.png" as="image">

    <!-- Generated with Sphinx 8.2.3 and Furo 2025.09.25.dev1 -->
        <title>Getting Started Fast - Reticulum Network Stack 1.0.4 documentation</title>
      <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/pygments.css?v=d111a655" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/styles/furo.css?v=580074bf" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/copybutton.css?v=76b2166b" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/styles/furo-extensions.css?v=8dab3a3b" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/custom.css?v=bb3cebc5" />
    
    


<style>
  body {
    --color-code-background: #f2f2f2;
  --color-code-foreground: #1e1e1e;
  
  }
  @media not print {
    body[data-theme="dark"] {
      --color-code-background: #202020;
  --color-code-foreground: #d0d0d0;
  --color-background-primary: #202b38;
  --color-background-secondary: #161f27;
  --color-foreground-primary: #dbdbdb;
  --color-foreground-secondary: #a9b1ba;
  --color-brand-primary: #41adff;
  --color-background-hover: #161f27;
  --color-api-name: #ffbe85;
  --color-api-pre-name: #efae75;
  
    }
    @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
      body:not([data-theme="light"]) {
        --color-code-background: #202020;
  --color-code-foreground: #d0d0d0;
  --color-background-primary: #202b38;
  --color-background-secondary: #161f27;
  --color-foreground-primary: #dbdbdb;
  --color-foreground-secondary: #a9b1ba;
  --color-brand-primary: #41adff;
  --color-background-hover: #161f27;
  --color-api-name: #ffbe85;
  --color-api-pre-name: #efae75;
  
      }
    }
  }
</style></head>
  <body>
    
    <script>
      document.body.dataset.theme = localStorage.getItem("theme") || "auto";
    </script>
    

<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="display: none;">
  <symbol id="svg-toc" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Contents</title>
    <svg stroke="currentColor" fill="currentColor" stroke-width="0" viewBox="0 0 1024 1024">
      <path d="M408 442h480c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H408c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8zm-8 204c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h480c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H408c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56zm504-486H120c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h784c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8zm0 632H120c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h784c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8zM115.4 518.9L271.7 642c5.8 4.6 14.4.5 14.4-6.9V388.9c0-7.4-8.5-11.5-14.4-6.9L115.4 505.1a8.74 8.74 0 0 0 0 13.8z"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-menu" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Menu</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-menu">
      <line x1="3" y1="12" x2="21" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="3" y1="6" x2="21" y2="6"></line>
      <line x1="3" y1="18" x2="21" y2="18"></line>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-arrow-right" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Expand</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-chevron-right">
      <polyline points="9 18 15 12 9 6"></polyline>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-sun" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Light mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-sun">
      <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="5"></circle>
      <line x1="12" y1="1" x2="12" y2="3"></line>
      <line x1="12" y1="21" x2="12" y2="23"></line>
      <line x1="4.22" y1="4.22" x2="5.64" y2="5.64"></line>
      <line x1="18.36" y1="18.36" x2="19.78" y2="19.78"></line>
      <line x1="1" y1="12" x2="3" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="21" y1="12" x2="23" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="4.22" y1="19.78" x2="5.64" y2="18.36"></line>
      <line x1="18.36" y1="5.64" x2="19.78" y2="4.22"></line>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-moon" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Dark mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-moon">
      <path stroke="none" d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none" />
      <path d="M12 3c.132 0 .263 0 .393 0a7.5 7.5 0 0 0 7.92 12.446a9 9 0 1 1 -8.313 -12.454z" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-sun-with-moon" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Auto light/dark, in light mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"
      class="icon-custom-derived-from-feather-sun-and-tabler-moon">
      <path style="opacity: 50%" d="M 5.411 14.504 C 5.471 14.504 5.532 14.504 5.591 14.504 C 3.639 16.319 4.383 19.569 6.931 20.352 C 7.693 20.586 8.512 20.551 9.25 20.252 C 8.023 23.207 4.056 23.725 2.11 21.184 C 0.166 18.642 1.702 14.949 4.874 14.536 C 5.051 14.512 5.231 14.5 5.411 14.5 L 5.411 14.504 Z"/>
      <line x1="14.5" y1="3.25" x2="14.5" y2="1.25"/>
      <line x1="14.5" y1="15.85" x2="14.5" y2="17.85"/>
      <line x1="10.044" y1="5.094" x2="8.63" y2="3.68"/>
      <line x1="19" y1="14.05" x2="20.414" y2="15.464"/>
      <line x1="8.2" y1="9.55" x2="6.2" y2="9.55"/>
      <line x1="20.8" y1="9.55" x2="22.8" y2="9.55"/>
      <line x1="10.044" y1="14.006" x2="8.63" y2="15.42"/>
      <line x1="19" y1="5.05" x2="20.414" y2="3.636"/>
      <circle cx="14.5" cy="9.55" r="3.6"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-moon-with-sun" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Auto light/dark, in dark mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"
      class="icon-custom-derived-from-feather-sun-and-tabler-moon">
      <path d="M 8.282 7.007 C 8.385 7.007 8.494 7.007 8.595 7.007 C 5.18 10.184 6.481 15.869 10.942 17.24 C 12.275 17.648 13.706 17.589 15 17.066 C 12.851 22.236 5.91 23.143 2.505 18.696 C -0.897 14.249 1.791 7.786 7.342 7.063 C 7.652 7.021 7.965 7 8.282 7 L 8.282 7.007 Z"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="18" y1="3.705" x2="18" y2="2.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="18" y1="11.295" x2="18" y2="12.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="15.316" y1="4.816" x2="14.464" y2="3.964"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="20.711" y1="10.212" x2="21.563" y2="11.063"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="14.205" y1="7.5" x2="13.001" y2="7.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="21.795" y1="7.5" x2="23" y2="7.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="15.316" y1="10.184" x2="14.464" y2="11.036"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="20.711" y1="4.789" x2="21.563" y2="3.937"/>
      <circle style="opacity: 50%" cx="18" cy="7.5" r="2.169"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-pencil" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-pencil-code">
      <path d="M4 20h4l10.5 -10.5a2.828 2.828 0 1 0 -4 -4l-10.5 10.5v4" />
      <path d="M13.5 6.5l4 4" />
      <path d="M20 21l2 -2l-2 -2" />
      <path d="M17 17l-2 2l2 2" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-eye" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-eye-code">
      <path stroke="none" d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none" />
      <path d="M10 12a2 2 0 1 0 4 0a2 2 0 0 0 -4 0" />
      <path
        d="M11.11 17.958c-3.209 -.307 -5.91 -2.293 -8.11 -5.958c2.4 -4 5.4 -6 9 -6c3.6 0 6.6 2 9 6c-.21 .352 -.427 .688 -.647 1.008" />
      <path d="M20 21l2 -2l-2 -2" />
      <path d="M17 17l-2 2l2 2" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
</svg>

<input type="checkbox" class="sidebar-toggle" name="__navigation" id="__navigation" aria-label="Toggle site navigation sidebar">
<input type="checkbox" class="sidebar-toggle" name="__toc" id="__toc" aria-label="Toggle table of contents sidebar">
<label class="overlay sidebar-overlay" for="__navigation"></label>
<label class="overlay toc-overlay" for="__toc"></label>

<a class="skip-to-content muted-link" href="#furo-main-content">Skip to content</a>



<div class="page">
  <header class="mobile-header">
    <div class="header-left">
      <label class="nav-overlay-icon" for="__navigation">
        <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-menu"></use></svg></span>
      </label>
    </div>
    <div class="header-center">
      <a href="index.html"><div class="brand">Reticulum Network Stack 1.0.4 documentation</div></a>
    </div>
    <div class="header-right">
      <div class="theme-toggle-container theme-toggle-header">
        <button class="theme-toggle" aria-label="Toggle Light / Dark / Auto color theme">
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-light"><use href="#svg-sun-with-moon"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-dark"><use href="#svg-moon-with-sun"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-dark"><use href="#svg-moon"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-light"><use href="#svg-sun"></use></svg>
        </button>
      </div>
      <label class="toc-overlay-icon toc-header-icon" for="__toc">
        <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-toc"></use></svg></span>
      </label>
    </div>
  </header>
  <aside class="sidebar-drawer">
    <div class="sidebar-container">
      
      <div class="sidebar-sticky"><a class="sidebar-brand" href="index.html">
  <div class="sidebar-logo-container">
    <img class="sidebar-logo" src="_static/rns_logo_512.png" alt="Logo"/>
  </div>
  
  <span class="sidebar-brand-text">Reticulum Network Stack 1.0.4 documentation</span>
  
</a><form class="sidebar-search-container" method="get" action="search.html" role="search">
  <input class="sidebar-search" placeholder="Search" name="q" aria-label="Search">
  <input type="hidden" name="check_keywords" value="yes">
  <input type="hidden" name="area" value="default">
</form>
<div id="searchbox"></div><div class="sidebar-scroll"><div class="sidebar-tree">
  <ul class="current">
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="whatis.html">What is Reticulum?</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1 current current-page"><a class="current reference internal" href="#">Getting Started Fast</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="using.html">Using Reticulum on Your System</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html">Understanding Reticulum</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="hardware.html">Communications Hardware</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html">Configuring Interfaces</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="networks.html">Building Networks</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="support.html">Support Reticulum</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="examples.html">Code Examples</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="reference.html">API Reference</a></li>
</ul>

</div>
</div>

      </div>
      
    </div>
  </aside>
  <div class="main">
    <div class="content">
      <div class="article-container">
        <a href="#" class="back-to-top muted-link">
          <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
            <path d="M13 20h-2V8l-5.5 5.5-1.42-1.42L12 4.16l7.92 7.92-1.42 1.42L13 8v12z"></path>
          </svg>
          <span>Back to top</span>
        </a>
        <div class="content-icon-container">
          <div class="theme-toggle-container theme-toggle-content">
            <button class="theme-toggle" aria-label="Toggle Light / Dark / Auto color theme">
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-light"><use href="#svg-sun-with-moon"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-dark"><use href="#svg-moon-with-sun"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-dark"><use href="#svg-moon"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-light"><use href="#svg-sun"></use></svg>
            </button>
          </div>
          <label class="toc-overlay-icon toc-content-icon" for="__toc">
            <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-toc"></use></svg></span>
          </label>
        </div>
        <article role="main" id="furo-main-content">
          <section id="getting-started-fast">
<h1>Getting Started Fast<a class="headerlink" href="#getting-started-fast" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>The best way to get started with the Reticulum Network Stack depends on what
you want to do. This guide will outline sensible starting paths for different
scenarios.</p>
<section id="standalone-reticulum-installation">
<h2>Standalone Reticulum Installation<a class="headerlink" href="#standalone-reticulum-installation" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you simply want to install Reticulum and related utilities on a system,
the easiest way is via the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> package manager:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you do not already have pip installed, you can install it using the package manager
of your system with a command like <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sudo</span> <span class="pre">apt</span> <span class="pre">install</span> <span class="pre">python3-pip</span></code>,
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sudo</span> <span class="pre">pamac</span> <span class="pre">install</span> <span class="pre">python-pip</span></code> or similar.</p>
<p>You can also dowload the Reticulum release wheels from GitHub, or other release channels,
and install them offline using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code>:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>./rns-1.0.2-py3-none-any.whl
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>On platforms that limit user package installation via <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code>, you may need to manually
allow this using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--break-system-packages</span></code> command line flag when installing. This
will not actually break any packages, unless you have installed Reticulum directly via
your operating system’s package manager.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns<span class="w"> </span>--break-system-packages
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>For more detailed installation instructions, please see the
<a class="reference internal" href="#install-guides"><span class="std std-ref">Platform-Specific Install Notes</span></a> section.</p>
<p>After installation is complete, it might be helpful to refer to the
<a class="reference internal" href="using.html#using-main"><span class="std std-ref">Using Reticulum on Your System</span></a> chapter.</p>
<section id="resolving-dependency-installation-issues">
<h3>Resolving Dependency &amp; Installation Issues<a class="headerlink" href="#resolving-dependency-installation-issues" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On some platforms, there may not be binary packages available for all dependencies, and
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> installation may fail with an error message. In these cases, the issue can usually
be resolved by installing the development essentials packages for your platform:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Debian / Ubuntu / Derivatives</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>build-essential

<span class="c1"># Arch / Manjaro / Derivatives</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>pamac<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>base-devel

<span class="c1"># Fedora</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>dnf<span class="w"> </span>groupinstall<span class="w"> </span><span class="s2">&quot;Development Tools&quot;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s2">&quot;Development Libraries&quot;</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>With the base development packages installed, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> should be able to compile any missing
dependencies from source, and complete installation even on platforms that don’t have pre-
compiled packages available.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="try-using-a-reticulum-based-program">
<h2>Try Using a Reticulum-based Program<a class="headerlink" href="#try-using-a-reticulum-based-program" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you simply want to try using a program built with Reticulum, a few different
programs exist that allow basic communication and a range of other useful functions,
even over extremely low-bandwidth Reticulum networks.</p>
<p>These programs will let you get a feel for how Reticulum works. They have been designed
to run well over networks based on LoRa or packet radio, but can also be used over fast
links, such as local WiFi, wired Ethernet, the Internet, or any combination.</p>
<p>As such, it is easy to get started experimenting, without having to set up any radio
transceivers or infrastructure just to try it out. Launching the programs on separate
devices connected to the same WiFi network is enough to get started, and physical
radio interfaces can then be added later.</p>
<section id="remote-shell">
<h3>Remote Shell<a class="headerlink" href="#remote-shell" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/acehoss/rnsh">rnsh</a> program lets you establish fully interactive
remote shell sessions over Reticulum. It also allows you to pipe any program to or from a
remote system, and is similar to how <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ssh</span></code> works. The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsh</span></code> is very efficient, and
can facilitate fully interactive shell sessions, even over extremely low-bandwidth links,
such as LoRa or packet radio.</p>
</section>
<section id="nomad-network">
<h3>Nomad Network<a class="headerlink" href="#nomad-network" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>The terminal-based program <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/nomadnet">Nomad Network</a>
provides a complete encrypted communications suite built with Reticulum. It features
encrypted messaging (both direct and delayed-delivery for offline users), file sharing,
and has a built-in text-browser and page server with support for dynamically rendered pages,
user authentication and more.</p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="_images/nomadnet_3.png"><img alt="_images/nomadnet_3.png" src="_images/nomadnet_3.png" />
</a>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/nomadnet">Nomad Network</a> is a user-facing client
for the messaging and information-sharing protocol
<a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/lxmf">LXMF</a>, another project built with Reticulum.</p>
<p>You can install Nomad Network via pip:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install ...</span>
<span class="n">pip</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">nomadnet</span>

<span class="c1"># ... and run</span>
<span class="n">nomadnet</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>If this is the very first time you use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> to install a program
on your system, you might need to reboot your system for your program to become
available. If you get a “command not found” error or similar when running the
program, reboot your system and try again. In some cases, you may even need to
manually add the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> install path to your <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PATH</span></code> environment variable.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="sideband">
<h3>Sideband<a class="headerlink" href="#sideband" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>If you would rather use a program with a graphical user interface, you can take
a look at <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/sideband">Sideband</a>, which is available for Android,
Linux, macOS and Windows.</p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="_images/sideband_devices.webp"><img alt="_images/sideband_devices.webp" class="align-center" src="_images/sideband_devices.webp" />
</a>
<p>Sideband allows you to communicate with other people or LXMF-compatible
systems over Reticulum networks using LoRa, Packet Radio, WiFi, I2P, Encrypted QR
Paper Messages, or anything else Reticulum supports. It also interoperates with
the Nomad Network program.</p>
</section>
<section id="meshchat">
<h3>MeshChat<a class="headerlink" href="#meshchat" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/liamcottle/reticulum-meshchat">Reticulum MeshChat</a> application
is a user-friendly LXMF client for Linux, macOS and Windows, that also includes a Nomad Network
page browser and other interesting functionality.</p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="_images/meshchat_1.webp"><img alt="_images/meshchat_1.webp" class="align-center" src="_images/meshchat_1.webp" />
</a>
<p>Reticulum MeshChat is of course also compatible with Sideband and Nomad Network, or
any other LXMF client.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="using-the-included-utilities">
<h2>Using the Included Utilities<a class="headerlink" href="#using-the-included-utilities" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Reticulum comes with a range of included utilities that make it easier to
manage your network, check connectivity and make Reticulum available to other
programs on your system.</p>
<p>You can use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span></code> to run Reticulum as a background or foreground service,
and the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnstatus</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnpath</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnprobe</span></code> utilities to view and query
network status and connectivity.</p>
<p>To learn more about these utility programs, have a look at the
<a class="reference internal" href="using.html#using-main"><span class="std std-ref">Using Reticulum on Your System</span></a> chapter of this manual.</p>
</section>
<section id="creating-a-network-with-reticulum">
<h2>Creating a Network With Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#creating-a-network-with-reticulum" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>To create a network, you will need to specify one or more <em>interfaces</em> for
Reticulum to use. This is done in the Reticulum configuration file, which by
default is located at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.reticulum/config</span></code>. You can get an example
configuration file with all options via <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span> <span class="pre">--exampleconfig</span></code>.</p>
<p>When Reticulum is started for the first time, it will create a default
configuration file, with one active interface. This default interface uses
your existing Ethernet and WiFi networks (if any), and only allows you to
communicate with other Reticulum peers within your local broadcast domains.</p>
<p>To communicate further, you will have to add one or more interfaces. The default
configuration includes a number of examples, ranging from using TCP over the
internet, to LoRa and Packet Radio interfaces.</p>
<p>With Reticulum, you only need to configure what interfaces you want to communicate
over. There is no need to configure address spaces, subnets, routing tables,
or other things you might be used to from other network types.</p>
<p>Once Reticulum knows which interfaces it should use, it will automatically
discover topography and configure transport of data to any destinations it
knows about.</p>
<p>In situations where you already have an established WiFi or Ethernet network, and
many devices that want to utilise the same external Reticulum network paths (for example over
LoRa), it will often be sufficient to let one system act as a Reticulum gateway, by
adding any external interfaces to the configuration of this system, and then enabling transport on it. Any
other device on your local WiFi will then be able to connect to this wider Reticulum
network just using the default (<a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-auto"><span class="std std-ref">AutoInterface</span></a>) configuration.</p>
<p>Possibly, the examples in the config file are enough to get you started. If
you want more information, you can read the <a class="reference internal" href="networks.html#networks-main"><span class="std std-ref">Building Networks</span></a>
and <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">Interfaces</span></a> chapters of this manual.</p>
</section>
<section id="connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet">
<h2>Connecting Reticulum Instances Over the Internet<a class="headerlink" href="#connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Reticulum currently offers three interfaces suitable for connecting instances over the Internet: <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-backbone"><span class="std std-ref">Backbone</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-tcps"><span class="std std-ref">TCP</span></a>
and <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-i2p"><span class="std std-ref">I2P</span></a>. Each interface offers a different set of features, and Reticulum
users should carefully choose the interface which best suites their needs.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> allows users to host an instance accessible over TCP/IP. This
method is generally faster, lower latency, and more energy efficient than using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">I2PInterface</span></code>,
however it also leaks more data about the server host.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code> is a very fast and efficient interface type available on POSIX operating
systems, designed to handle many hundreds of connections simultaneously with low memory, processing
and I/O overhead. It is fully compatible with the TCP-based interface types.</p>
<p>TCP connections reveal the IP address of both your instance and the server to anyone who can
inspect the connection. Someone could use this information to determine your location or identity. Adversaries
inspecting your packets may be able to record packet metadata like time of transmission and packet size.
Even though Reticulum encrypts traffic, TCP does not, so an adversary may be able to use
packet inspection to learn that a system is running Reticulum, and what other IP addresses connect to it.
Hosting a publicly reachable instance over TCP also requires a publicly reachable IP address,
which most Internet connections don’t offer anymore.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">I2PInterface</span></code> routes messages through the <a class="reference external" href="https://geti2p.net/en/">Invisible Internet Protocol
(I2P)</a>. To use this interface, users must also run an I2P daemon in
parallel to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span></code>. For always-on I2P nodes it is recommended to use <a class="reference external" href="https://i2pd.website/">i2pd</a>.</p>
<p>By default, I2P will encrypt and mix all traffic sent over the Internet, and
hide both the sender and receiver Reticulum instance IP addresses. Running an I2P node
will also relay other I2P user’s encrypted packets, which will use extra
bandwidth and compute power, but also makes timing attacks and other forms of
deep-packet-inspection much more difficult.</p>
<p>I2P also allows users to host globally available Reticulum instances from non-public IP’s and behind firewalls and NAT.</p>
<p>In general it is recommended to use an I2P node if you want to host a publicly accessible
instance, while preserving anonymity. If you care more about performance, and a slightly
easier setup, use TCP.</p>
</section>
<section id="connect-to-the-public-testnet">
<h2>Connect to the Public Testnet<a class="headerlink" href="#connect-to-the-public-testnet" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>An experimental public testnet has been made accessible by volunteers in the community. You
can find interface definitions for adding to your <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.reticulum/config</span></code> file on the
<a class="reference external" href="https://reticulum.network/connect.html">Reticulum Website</a> or the
<a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum/wiki/Community-Node-List">Community Wiki</a></p>
<p>You can connect your devices or instances to one or more of these to gain access to any
Reticulum networks they are physically connected to. Simply add one or more interface
snippets to your config file in the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">[interface]</span></code> section, like in the example below:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># TCP/IP interface to the BetweenTheBorders Hub (community-provided)</span>
<span class="k">[[RNS Testnet BetweenTheBorders]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">reticulum.betweentheborders.com</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition tip">
<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
<p>Ideally, set up a Reticulum Transport Node that your own devices can reach locally, and then
connect that transport node to a couple of public entrypoints. This will provide efficient
connections and redundancy in case any of them go down.</p>
</div>
<p>Many other Reticulum instances are connecting to this testnet, and you can also join it
via other entry points if you know them. There is absolutely no control over the network
topography, usage or what types of instances connect. It will also occasionally be used
to test various failure scenarios, and there are no availability or service guarantees.
Expect weird things to happen on this network, as people experiment and try out things.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>It probably goes without saying, but <em>don’t use the testnet entry-points as
hardcoded or default interfaces in any applications you ship to users</em>. When
shipping applications, the best practice is to provide your own default
connectivity solutions, if needed and applicable, or in most cases, simply
leave it up to the user which networks to connect to, and how.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="hosting-public-entrypoints">
<h2>Hosting Public Entrypoints<a class="headerlink" href="#hosting-public-entrypoints" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you want to host a public (or private) entry-point to a Reticulum network over the
Internet, this section offers some helpful pointers. You will need a machine, physical or
virtual with a public IP address, that can be reached by other devices on the Internet.</p>
<p>The most efficient and performant way to host a connectable entry-point supporting many
users is to use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code>. This interface type is fully compatible with
the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPClientInterface</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> types, but much faster and uses
less system resources, allowing your device to handle thousands of connections even on
small systems.</p>
<p>It is also important to set your connectable interface to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> mode, since this
will greatly improve network convergence time and path resolution for anyone connecting
to your entry-point.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a backbone interface</span>
<span class="c1"># configured for acting as a gateway for users to</span>
<span class="c1"># connect to either a public or private network</span>

<span class="k">[[Public Gateway]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">mode</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">gateway</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_on</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0.0.0.0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If instead you want to make a private entry-point from the Internet, you can use the
<a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-options"><span class="std std-ref">IFAC name and passphrase options</span></a> to secure your interface with a network name and passphrase.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># A private entry-point requiring a pre-shared</span>
<span class="c1"># network name and passphrase to connect to.</span>

<span class="k">[[Private Gateway]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">mode</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">gateway</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_on</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0.0.0.0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">network_name</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">private_ret</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">passphrase</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">2owjajquafIanPecAc</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you are hosting an entry-point on an operating system that does not support
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code>, you can use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> instead, although it will
not be as performant.</p>
</section>
<section id="adding-radio-interfaces">
<h2>Adding Radio Interfaces<a class="headerlink" href="#adding-radio-interfaces" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Once you have Reticulum installed and working, you can add radio interfaces with
any compatible hardware you have available. Reticulum supports a wide range of radio
hardware, and if you already have any available, it is very likely that it will
work with Reticulum. For information on how to configure this, see the
<a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">Interfaces</span></a> section of this manual.</p>
<p>If you do not already have transceiver hardware available, you can easily and
cheaply build an <a class="reference internal" href="hardware.html#rnode-main"><span class="std std-ref">RNode</span></a>, which is a general-purpose long-range
digital radio transceiver, that integrates easily with Reticulum.</p>
<p>To build one yourself requires installing a custom firmware on a supported LoRa
development board with an auto-install script. Please see the <a class="reference internal" href="hardware.html#hardware-main"><span class="std std-ref">Communications Hardware</span></a>
chapter for a guide. If you prefer purchasing a ready-made unit, you can refer to the
<span class="xref std std-ref">list of suppliers</span>. For more information on RNode, you can also
refer to these additional external resources:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/how-to-make-your-own-rnodes/">How To Make Your Own RNodes</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/installing-rnode-firmware-on-supported-devices/">Installing RNode Firmware on Compatible LoRa Devices</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/private-messaging-over-lora/">Private, Secure and Uncensorable Messaging Over a LoRa Mesh</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/RNode_Firmware/">RNode Firmware</a></p></li>
</ul>
<p>If you have communications hardware that is not already supported by any of the
<a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">existing interface types</span></a>, but you think would be suitable for use with Reticulum,
you are welcome to head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum/discussions">GitHub discussion pages</a>
and propose adding an interface for the hardware.</p>
</section>
<section id="creating-and-using-custom-interfaces">
<h2>Creating and Using Custom Interfaces<a class="headerlink" href="#creating-and-using-custom-interfaces" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>While Reticulum includes a flexible and broad range of built-in interfaces, these
will not cover every conceivable type of communications hardware that Reticulum
can potentially use to communicate.</p>
<p>It is therefore possible to easily write your own interface modules, that can be
loaded at run-time and used on-par with any of the built-in interface types.</p>
<p>For more information on this subject, and code examples to build on, please see
the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">Configuring Interfaces</span></a> chapter.</p>
</section>
<section id="develop-a-program-with-reticulum">
<h2>Develop a Program with Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#develop-a-program-with-reticulum" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you want to develop programs that use Reticulum, the easiest way to get
started is to install the latest release of Reticulum via pip:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">pip</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">rns</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>The above command will install Reticulum and dependencies, and you will be
ready to import and use RNS in your own programs. The next step will most
likely be to look at some <a class="reference internal" href="examples.html#examples-main"><span class="std std-ref">Example Programs</span></a>.</p>
<p>The entire Reticulum API is documented in the <a class="reference internal" href="reference.html#api-main"><span class="std std-ref">API Reference</span></a>
chapter of this manual.</p>
</section>
<section id="participate-in-reticulum-development">
<h2>Participate in Reticulum Development<a class="headerlink" href="#participate-in-reticulum-development" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you want to participate in the development of Reticulum and associated
utilities, you’ll want to get the latest source from GitHub. In that case,
don’t use pip, but try this recipe:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install dependencies</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>cryptography<span class="w"> </span>pyserial

<span class="c1"># Clone repository</span>
git<span class="w"> </span>clone<span class="w"> </span>https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum.git

<span class="c1"># Move into Reticulum folder and symlink library to examples folder</span>
<span class="nb">cd</span><span class="w"> </span>Reticulum
ln<span class="w"> </span>-s<span class="w"> </span>../RNS<span class="w"> </span>./Examples/

<span class="c1"># Run an example</span>
python<span class="w"> </span>Examples/Echo.py<span class="w"> </span>-s

<span class="c1"># Unless you&#39;ve manually created a config file, Reticulum will do so now,</span>
<span class="c1"># and immediately exit. Make any necessary changes to the file:</span>
nano<span class="w"> </span>~/.reticulum/config

<span class="c1"># ... and launch the example again.</span>
python<span class="w"> </span>Examples/Echo.py<span class="w"> </span>-s

<span class="c1"># You can now repeat the process on another computer,</span>
<span class="c1"># and run the same example with -h to get command line options.</span>
python<span class="w"> </span>Examples/Echo.py<span class="w"> </span>-h

<span class="c1"># Run the example in client mode to &quot;ping&quot; the server.</span>
<span class="c1"># Replace the hash below with the actual destination hash of your server.</span>
python<span class="w"> </span>Examples/Echo.py<span class="w"> </span>174a64852a75682259ad8b921b8bf416

<span class="c1"># Have a look at another example</span>
python<span class="w"> </span>Examples/Filetransfer.py<span class="w"> </span>-h
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>When you have experimented with the basic examples, it’s time to go read the
<a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-main"><span class="std std-ref">Understanding Reticulum</span></a> chapter. Before submitting
your first pull request, it is probably a good idea to introduce yourself on
the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum/discussions">disucssion forum on GitHub</a>,
or ask one of the developers or maintainers for a good place to start.</p>
</section>
<section id="platform-specific-install-notes">
<span id="install-guides"></span><h2>Platform-Specific Install Notes<a class="headerlink" href="#platform-specific-install-notes" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Some platforms require a slightly different installation procedure, or have
various quirks that are worth being aware of. These are listed here.</p>
<section id="android">
<h3>Android<a class="headerlink" href="#android" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>Reticulum can be used on Android in different ways. The easiest way to get
started is using an app like <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/sideband">Sideband</a>.</p>
<p>For more control and features, you can use Reticulum and related programs via
the <a class="reference external" href="https://termux.com/">Termux app</a>, at the time of writing available on
<a class="reference external" href="https://f-droid.org">F-droid</a>.</p>
<p>Termux is a terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android based devices,
which includes the ability to use many different programs and libraries,
including Reticulum.</p>
<p>To use Reticulum within the Termux environment, you will need to install
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span></code> and the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python-cryptography</span></code> library using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pkg</span></code>, the package-manager
build into Termux. After that, you can use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> to install Reticulum.</p>
<p>From within Termux, execute the following:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># First, make sure indexes and packages are up to date.</span>
pkg<span class="w"> </span>update
pkg<span class="w"> </span>upgrade

<span class="c1"># Then install python and the cryptography library.</span>
pkg<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python<span class="w"> </span>python-cryptography

<span class="c1"># Make sure pip is up to date, and install the wheel module.</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>wheel<span class="w"> </span>pip<span class="w"> </span>--upgrade

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If for some reason the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python-cryptography</span></code> package is not available for
your platform via the Termux package manager, you can attempt to build it
locally on your device using the following command:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># First, make sure indexes and packages are up to date.</span>
pkg<span class="w"> </span>update
pkg<span class="w"> </span>upgrade

<span class="c1"># Then install dependencies for the cryptography library.</span>
pkg<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python<span class="w"> </span>build-essential<span class="w"> </span>openssl<span class="w"> </span>libffi<span class="w"> </span>rust

<span class="c1"># Make sure pip is up to date, and install the wheel module.</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>wheel<span class="w"> </span>pip<span class="w"> </span>--upgrade

<span class="c1"># To allow the installer to build the cryptography module,</span>
<span class="c1"># we need to let it know what platform we are compiling for:</span>
<span class="nb">export</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">CARGO_BUILD_TARGET</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">&quot;aarch64-linux-android&quot;</span>

<span class="c1"># Start the install process for the cryptography module.</span>
<span class="c1"># Depending on your device, this can take several minutes,</span>
<span class="c1"># since the module must be compiled locally on your device.</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>cryptography

<span class="c1"># If the above installation succeeds, you can now install</span>
<span class="c1"># Reticulum and any related software</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>It is also possible to include Reticulum in apps compiled and distributed as
Android APKs. A detailed tutorial and example source code will be included
here at a later point. Until then you can use the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/sideband">Sideband source code</a> as an example and starting point.</p>
</section>
<section id="arm64">
<h3>ARM64<a class="headerlink" href="#arm64" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On some architectures, including ARM64, not all dependencies have precompiled
binaries. On such systems, you may need to install <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python3-dev</span></code> (or similar) before
installing Reticulum or programs that depend on Reticulum.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install Python and development packages</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>update
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python3<span class="w"> </span>python3-pip<span class="w"> </span>python3-dev

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
python3<span class="w"> </span>-m<span class="w"> </span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>With these packages installed, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> will be able to build any missing dependencies
on your system locally.</p>
</section>
<section id="debian-bookworm">
<h3>Debian Bookworm<a class="headerlink" href="#debian-bookworm" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On versions of Debian released after April 2023, it is no longer possible by default
to use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> to install packages onto your system. Unfortunately, you will need to
use the replacement <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pipx</span></code> command instead, which places installed packages in an
isolated environment. This should not negatively affect Reticulum, but will not work
for including and using Reticulum in your own scripts and programs.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install pipx</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>pipx

<span class="c1"># Make installed programs available on the command line</span>
pipx<span class="w"> </span>ensurepath

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
pipx<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Alternatively, you can restore normal behaviour to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> by creating or editing
the configuration file located at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.config/pip/pip.conf</span></code>, and adding the
following section:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[global]</span>
<span class="na">break-system-packages</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">true</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>For a one-shot installation of Reticulum, without globally enabling the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">break-system-packages</span></code>
option, you can use the following command:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns<span class="w"> </span>--break-system-packages
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--break-system-packages</span></code> directive is a somewhat misleading choice
of words. Setting it will of course not break any system packages, but will simply
allow installing <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> packages user- and system-wide. While this <em>could</em> in rare
cases lead to version conflicts, it does not generally pose any problems, especially
not in the case of installing Reticulum.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="macos">
<h3>MacOS<a class="headerlink" href="#macos" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>To install Reticulum on macOS, you will need to have Python and the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> package
manager installed.</p>
<p>Systems running macOS can vary quite widely in whether or not Python is pre-installed,
and if it is, which version is installed, and whether the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> package manager is
also installed and set up. If in doubt, you can <a class="reference external" href="https://www.python.org/downloads/">download and install</a>
Python manually.</p>
<p>When Python and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> is available on your system, simply open a terminal window
and use one of the following commands:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install Reticulum and utilities with pip:</span>
pip3<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns

<span class="c1"># On some versions, you may need to use the</span>
<span class="c1"># flag --break-system-packages to install:</span>
pip3<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns<span class="w"> </span>--break-system-packages
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--break-system-packages</span></code> directive is a somewhat misleading choice
of words. Setting it will of course not break any system packages, but will simply
allow installing <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> packages user- and system-wide. While this <em>could</em> in rare
cases lead to version conflicts, it does not generally pose any problems, especially
not in the case of installing Reticulum.</p>
</div>
<p>Additionally, some version combinations of macOS and Python require you to
manually add your installed <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> packages directory to your <cite>PATH</cite> environment
variable, before you can use installed commands in your terminal. Usually, adding
the following line to your shell init script (for example <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.zshrc</span></code>) will be enough:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nb">export</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">PATH</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="nv">$PATH</span>:~/Library/Python/3.9/bin
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Adjust Python version and shell init script location according to your system.</p>
</section>
<section id="openwrt">
<h3>OpenWRT<a class="headerlink" href="#openwrt" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On OpenWRT systems with sufficient storage and memory, you can install
Reticulum and related utilities using the <cite>opkg</cite> package manager and <cite>pip</cite>.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>At the time of releasing this manual, work is underway to create pre-built
Reticulum packages for OpenWRT, with full configuration, service
and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">uci</span></code> integration. Please see the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/gretel/feed-reticulum">feed-reticulum</a>
and <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/gretel/reticulum-openwrt">reticulum-openwrt</a>
repositories for more information.</p>
</div>
<p>To install Reticulum on OpenWRT, first log into a command line session, and
then use the following instructions:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install dependencies</span>
opkg<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python3<span class="w"> </span>python3-pip<span class="w"> </span>python3-cryptography<span class="w"> </span>python3-pyserial

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns

<span class="c1"># Start rnsd with debug logging enabled</span>
rnsd<span class="w"> </span>-vvv
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The above instructions have been verified and tested on OpenWRT 21.02 only.
It is likely that other versions may require slightly altered installation
commands or package names. You will also need enough free space in your
overlay FS, and enough free RAM to actually run Reticulum and any related
programs and utilities.</p>
</div>
<p>Depending on your device configuration, you may need to adjust firewall rules
for Reticulum connectivity to and from your device to work. Until proper
packaging is ready, you will also need to manually create a service or startup
script to automatically laucnh Reticulum at boot time.</p>
<p>Please also note that the <cite>AutoInterface</cite> requires link-local IPv6 addresses
to be enabled for any Ethernet and WiFi devices you intend to use. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ip</span> <span class="pre">a</span></code>
shows an address starting with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">fe80::</span></code> for the device in question,
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code> should work for that device.</p>
</section>
<section id="raspberry-pi">
<h3>Raspberry Pi<a class="headerlink" href="#raspberry-pi" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>It is currently recommended to use a 64-bit version of the Raspberry Pi OS
if you want to run Reticulum on Raspberry Pi computers, since 32-bit versions
don’t always have packages available for some dependencies. If Python and the
<cite>pip</cite> package manager is not already installed, do that first, and then
install Reticulum using <cite>pip</cite>.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install dependencies</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python3<span class="w"> </span>python3-pip<span class="w"> </span>python3-cryptography<span class="w"> </span>python3-pyserial

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns<span class="w"> </span>--break-system-packages
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--break-system-packages</span></code> directive is a somewhat misleading choice
of words. Setting it will of course not break any system packages, but will simply
allow installing <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> packages user- and system-wide. While this <em>could</em> in rare
cases lead to version conflicts, it does not generally pose any problems, especially
not in the case of installing Reticulum.</p>
</div>
<p>While it is possible to install and run Reticulum on 32-bit Rasperry Pi OSes,
it will require manually configuring and installing required build dependencies,
and is not detailed in this manual.</p>
</section>
<section id="risc-v">
<h3>RISC-V<a class="headerlink" href="#risc-v" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On some architectures, including RISC-V, not all dependencies have precompiled
binaries. On such systems, you may need to install <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python3-dev</span></code> (or similar) before
installing Reticulum or programs that depend on Reticulum.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install Python and development packages</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>update
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>python3<span class="w"> </span>python3-pip<span class="w"> </span>python3-dev

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
python3<span class="w"> </span>-m<span class="w"> </span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>With these packages installed, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> will be able to build any missing dependencies
on your system locally.</p>
</section>
<section id="ubuntu-lunar">
<h3>Ubuntu Lunar<a class="headerlink" href="#ubuntu-lunar" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On versions of Ubuntu released after April 2023, it is no longer possible by default
to use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> to install packages onto your system. Unfortunately, you will need to
use the replacement <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pipx</span></code> command instead, which places installed packages in an
isolated environment. This should not negatively affect Reticulum, but will not work
for including and using Reticulum in your own scripts and programs.</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install pipx</span>
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>pipx

<span class="c1"># Make installed programs available on the command line</span>
pipx<span class="w"> </span>ensurepath

<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
pipx<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Alternatively, you can restore normal behaviour to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> by creating or editing
the configuration file located at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.config/pip/pip.conf</span></code>, and adding the
following section:</p>
<div class="highlight-text notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>[global]
break-system-packages = true
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>For a one-shot installation of Reticulum, without globally enabling the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">break-system-packages</span></code>
option, you can use the following command:</p>
<div class="highlight-text notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip install rns --break-system-packages
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--break-system-packages</span></code> directive is a somewhat misleading choice
of words. Setting it will of course not break any system packages, but will simply
allow installing <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> packages user- and system-wide. While this <em>could</em> in rare
cases lead to version conflicts, it does not generally pose any problems, especially
not in the case of installing Reticulum.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="windows">
<h3>Windows<a class="headerlink" href="#windows" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>On Windows operating systems, the easiest way to install Reticulum is by using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> package manager from the command line (either the command prompt or Windows
Powershell).</p>
<p>If you don’t already have Python installed, <a class="reference external" href="https://www.python.org/downloads/">download and install Python</a>.
At the time of publication of this manual, the recommended version is <a class="reference external" href="https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3127">Python 3.12.7</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Important!</strong> When asked by the installer, make sure to add the Python program to
your PATH environment variables. If you don’t do this, you will not be able to
use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> installer, or run the included Reticulum utility programs (such as
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnstatus</span></code>) from the command line.</p>
<p>After installing Python, open the command prompt or Windows Powershell, and type:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>pip<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>rns
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>You can now use Reticulum and all included utility programs directly from your
preferred command line interface.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="pure-python-reticulum">
<h2>Pure-Python Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#pure-python-reticulum" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>If you use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnspure</span></code> package to run Reticulum on systems that
do not support <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/pyca/cryptography">PyCA/cryptography</a>, it is
important that you read and understand the <a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-primitives"><span class="std std-ref">Cryptographic Primitives</span></a>
section of this manual.</p>
</div>
<p>In some rare cases, and on more obscure system types, it is not possible to
install one or more dependencies. In such situations,
you can use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnspure</span></code> package instead of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rns</span></code> package, or use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code>
with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--no-dependencies</span></code> command-line option. The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnspure</span></code>
package requires no external dependencies for installation. Please note that the
actual contents of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rns</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnspure</span></code> packages are <em>completely identical</em>.
The only difference is that the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnspure</span></code> package lists no dependencies required
for installation.</p>
<p>No matter how Reticulum is installed and started, it will load external dependencies
only if they are <em>needed</em> and <em>available</em>. If for example you want to use Reticulum
on a system that cannot support <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pyserial</span></code>, it is perfectly possible to do so using
the <cite>rnspure</cite> package, but Reticulum will not be able to use serial-based interfaces.
All other available modules will still be loaded when needed.</p>
</section>
</section>

        </article>
      </div>
      <footer>
        
        <div class="related-pages">
          <a class="next-page" href="using.html">
              <div class="page-info">
                <div class="context">
                  <span>Next</span>
                </div>
                <div class="title">Using Reticulum on Your System</div>
              </div>
              <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg>
            </a>
          <a class="prev-page" href="whatis.html">
              <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg>
              <div class="page-info">
                <div class="context">
                  <span>Previous</span>
                </div>
                
                <div class="title">What is Reticulum?</div>
                
              </div>
            </a>
        </div>
        <div class="bottom-of-page">
          <div class="left-details">
            <div class="copyright">
                Copyright &#169; 2025, Mark Qvist
            </div>
            Generated with <a href="https://www.sphinx-doc.org/">Sphinx</a> and 
            <a href="https://github.com/pradyunsg/furo">Furo</a>
            
          </div>
          <div class="right-details">
            
          </div>
        </div>
        
      </footer>
    </div>
    <aside class="toc-drawer">
      
      
      <div class="toc-sticky toc-scroll">
        <div class="toc-title-container">
          <span class="toc-title">
            On this page
          </span>
        </div>
        <div class="toc-tree-container">
          <div class="toc-tree">
            <ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Getting Started Fast</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#standalone-reticulum-installation">Standalone Reticulum Installation</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#resolving-dependency-installation-issues">Resolving Dependency &amp; Installation Issues</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#try-using-a-reticulum-based-program">Try Using a Reticulum-based Program</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#remote-shell">Remote Shell</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#nomad-network">Nomad Network</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#sideband">Sideband</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#meshchat">MeshChat</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#using-the-included-utilities">Using the Included Utilities</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#creating-a-network-with-reticulum">Creating a Network With Reticulum</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet">Connecting Reticulum Instances Over the Internet</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#connect-to-the-public-testnet">Connect to the Public Testnet</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#hosting-public-entrypoints">Hosting Public Entrypoints</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#adding-radio-interfaces">Adding Radio Interfaces</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#creating-and-using-custom-interfaces">Creating and Using Custom Interfaces</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#develop-a-program-with-reticulum">Develop a Program with Reticulum</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#participate-in-reticulum-development">Participate in Reticulum Development</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#platform-specific-install-notes">Platform-Specific Install Notes</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#android">Android</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#arm64">ARM64</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#debian-bookworm">Debian Bookworm</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#macos">MacOS</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#openwrt">OpenWRT</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#raspberry-pi">Raspberry Pi</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#risc-v">RISC-V</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#ubuntu-lunar">Ubuntu Lunar</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#windows">Windows</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#pure-python-reticulum">Pure-Python Reticulum</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      
      
    </aside>
  </div>
</div><script src="_static/documentation_options.js?v=71272d9f"></script>
    <script src="_static/doctools.js?v=9bcbadda"></script>
    <script src="_static/sphinx_highlight.js?v=dc90522c"></script>
    <script src="_static/scripts/furo.js?v=46bd48cc"></script>
    <script src="_static/clipboard.min.js?v=a7894cd8"></script>
    <script src="_static/copybutton.js?v=f281be69"></script>
    </body>
</html>